Escape The City: 10 Trips To Make From New York City

In a city as inexhaustibly diverse and adventure filled as New York, it’s easy to forget that there’s a whole world just beyond the five boroughs. But on those occasions when you crave an out-of-town excursion, a slice of small-town life or a brush with nature, the options are endless. Here are 10 quick escapes just outside of NYC.

1. Woodstock

School

The Woodstock Chamber of Commerce in Woodstock, Ulster County, New York, United States.

Although the famous Woodstock music festival took place 40mi (63km) away in Bethel, NY, its namesake town is still a haven for artsy types seeking weekend retreats with a rock’n’roll edge. As expected, the cool kids from New York City have made their mark – look for the nearby Graham & Co., owned and creatively decorated by Brooklyn-based designers. However, that old-school hippy style still perseveres in the form of tie-dyed T-shirts and faint whiffs of patchouli.

2. Breakneck Ridge

Park, Hill Station

Casual weekend hikes are synonymous with the West Coast, but that’s not to say that New Yorkers don’t lace up their sneakers and hit the trails occasionally. Breakneck Ridge is – as the name suggests – not for the unfit or unadventurous (the first 45 minutes are basically an all-fours scramble up some very uncooperative terrain), but the views on the climb are plenty rewarding. If the sparkling, forest-lined Delaware River isn’t enough to encourage you, the promise of an icy beer and some artisan shopping at the finish line may be. Cold Spring Apothecary offers small-batch, botanical-based skin, hair and medicinal products that you won’t find at your local CVS.

3. Storm King Art Center

Museum, Park

Storm King sculpture park, upstate, Cornwall New York

With 500 acres (202ha) of looming, large-scale sculptures, you should assemble some friends, pack a picnic and spend the best part of the day exploring and discovering the best modern and contemporary sculptures at the Storm King Art Center. It is only about an hour outside of New York City, and if you time it right, your visit may coincide with a summer concert or poetry reading.

Delaware River

The 330mi (531km) Delaware River crosses four states before meeting the Atlantic Ocean near Cape May, New Jersey. Along the stretch that curves through New York’s leafy Catskills region, some fun-loving geniuses (including the guys at Lander’s River Trips) decided to open canoeing and tubing operations. If you’re feeling active, strap on a life vest and pick the rapids route.

5. Hudson

Historical Landmark

There are plenty of quaint villages situated along the Hudson River, but none can compete with the namesake town itself. Hudson, NY, has long been a go-to commuter locale for Brooklyn and Manhattan residents who are over big-city chaos but not big-city cuisine. Stay in the Hudson Milliner, a stylish 19th-century hat-shop-turned-boutique-guesthouse, and spend a weekend grazing at foodie haunts Red Dot Restaurant & Bar and Fish & Game.

North Fork

Once you arrive on the North Fork peninsula, you’ll wonder why more people don’t make the hour-and-a-half journey to Long Island’s wine region. Although the town’s wineries excel at producing sauvignon blanc, riesling and merlot, rosé fans haven’t been overlooked – Croteaux Vineyards specializes in pink tipple tastings. Sample its unique varieties in a rustic 1800s carriage house or (on warm-weather days) the pebbled courtyard shaded by cherry blossom trees.

6. Dia:Beacon

Art Gallery, Museum

Along with the Whitney and MoMA, Dia:Beacon should be on your culture hit list. Part of the Dia Art Foundation’s constellation of sites, this old Nabisco box-printing factory houses works dating from the 1960s to the present. Past exhibitions have included installations that were “site-conditioned” to engage with the museum’s architecture and lighting.

7. The Adirondacks

Natural Feature

It’s easy to forget that where the urban jungle ends, the wilderness begins. The Adirondacks are vast, beautiful and serene – the perfect landscape for exploring by foot, canoe or skis. They also host some famously idyllic camping spots, and for New Yorkers who like to buffer nature with a little home comfort, Camp Orenda’s canvas cabins fit the bill. Each abode comes with rustic decor (think wooden beds with cozy comforters, tree-stump nightstands and wood-burning stoves) and convenient electrical outlets to keep your iPhone charged and the Spotify jams playing. While you’re in the area, swing by Wild Walk. Known as a “High Line for the Forest,” this elevated trail through the foliage of Tupper Lake facilitates up-close-and-personal encounters with the region’s intriguing trees and creatures.

8. Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health

Yoga Studio

Situated in the beautiful Berkshire countryside, the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health is a great place for rejuvenation and holistic education. As the largest retreat center in the country, it is renowned for offering world-class yoga teacher and nutritional trainings but is also the perfect place to leave city stress behind. Try the R&R Retreat – a customized stay that includes a flexible schedule of classes (yoga, meditation and self-improvement), outdoor activities and quality downtime.

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.